Moonclan Left Behind: Chapter 1
by Wildstar97
Summary: Everyone knows the story of the Four Clans. But what if their was a fifth clan that was driven out seasons before. What if it was driven out so long ago that no one even remembers the name of Monclan
1. Chapter 1

Wildkit awoke to find Flowerkit's white and silver pelt missing from her side. She looked up and blinked at the bright light that filters through the leaves of the heather bush. She purred in comfort. From the bustling outside it was clear that the Moonclan cats were awaking around camp. Beside her, she felt something move. In fear, she leaped up and crashed into the top of the bush, causing it to rustle. Looking down again, she saw that it was only her littermate Weaselkit twitching in his sleep. Wildkit hissed in annoyance and sat down again. Weaselkit's brown pelt heaved a long sigh before it started to twitch again. Wildkit looked up at her mother Whiteheart, whose large white speckled head was staring intently at Weaselkit. Wildkit guessed that Whiteheart must thinking the same thing she was. _He must be having a nightmare about Pebblenose. _

"Whiteheart, can I go outside and find Flowerkit? I don't want to be hit by Weaselkit with his claws unsheathed next time," mewed Wildkit. Whiteheart's gaze flipped from Weaselkit to Wildkit and her tail twitched in amusement.

"You two look almost exactly alike. If it weren't for your eyes, I'm not sure I would be able to tell you apart." Whiteheart purred. Wildkit had already received this news from every cat in the clan, not that she had ever seen her own reflection. She and Weaselkit both had the same brown pelts, but Weaselkit had, their father, Redtalon's amber eyes as Wildkit had her mother's blue eyes. Outside the rustle of grass told Wildkit that the hunting party must be returning. From the noise Whiteheart seemed to remember what she had been asked. "Of course you can go find Flowerkit, but just don't let any cat trip over you. You've already upset Cloudfoot. Redtalon has already apologized to almost every cat in the clan." Wildkit got up and stretched her legs. Yesterday Redtalon had visited the Nursery and taught them hunting crouches. She and Weaselkit had been so excited to practice them that they had ruined most of the Fresh-kill pile by rolling dirt all over them. Cloudfoot was just an old grump. She shook at the memory of Redtalon scolded them in front of every clan cat.

A lowed snore came from Leopardtail in the back of the nursery and Wildkit jumped under Whiteheart's neck for cover. Soon she wouldn't have to sleep with Leopardtail's loud snores and squealing kits waking her up constantly. Whiteheart's ears pricked forward in shock before pushing Wildkit out from under her. She gave Wildkit a stern look before meowing, "and don't wake Leopardtail; she will need her sleep." Wildkit was about to leave the nursery, but Whiteheart continued, "And, Wildkit, you must get used to the idea of having new littermates that can't play-fight. They'll be here before next moon and they'll be much too small."

"I know," mewed Wildkit. She leaped with energy and darted out of the nursery. She made it a few fox-tails away before hearing Whiteheart's quick reminder.

"Remember to stay away from Eclipsestar! He's having a rough time with Pebblenose dying." Pebblenose was Eclipsestar's mate for as long as she could remember. Her death was the most tragic thing that she had, had to witness in her whole life!

Wildkit thought back to yesterday when Pebblenose had rushed into the camp bleeding from her side. The clan still didn't know what happened to her. The only word that she was able to choke out was, "Thunderclan," before she dropped to the ground. The clearing had stopped everything that they were doing to see what was happening. Eclipsestar had dropped from his tree den to lie next to his mate as if he had been injured alongside her. Greif had spotted her vision as Wildkit had tried to pry her way through the thick clump of cats. She had been very close to Pebblenose and still wasn't used to the idea of not ever seeing her again.

Our medicine cat, Blueleaf, had rushed out of her den to the sight of the bleeding warrior. With sad eyes she proclaimed that she had gone to join Starclan. Whiteheart had been crushed. She and Pebblenose had been littermates along with Leopardtail.

Other then the recent tragedy, Wildkit was excited for her kin to be born into the clan with Leopardtail as their mother. She would get to have new kin in the clan.

Outside, the nursery the warm Greenleaf sun lit up the clearing. The light flickered through the tall, ancient oak leaves. Each ray of sunlight seemed to glitter off the early morning dew. And she could see Eclipsestar staring out of his den with hollow eyes.

Coming out to meet the clan, Wildkit immediately felt the lingering anguish from last night's news. The elders, Brokenwhisker, Longtalon, and Scarleg, were carrying Pebblenose's limp body out of the Fourtrees clearing. Another wave of grief fell over her at the sight of the limp warrior. She, Weaselkit, and Flowerkit had only known her for a few moons and she was the first cat that they had seen when they opened their eyes. She felt like a part of her had died alongside Pebblenose. The proud white warrior had been the one to tell the three of them the story about the five clans.

With a pang of sadness Wildkit thought back to the cold Leafbare nights when she, Flowerkit, and Weaselkit would huddle up against Pebblenose's body for warmth. Her soothing voice would recite the age old story of Moonclan.

She would look up at the moon, through the heather leaves and start the story. "A long time ago when the clans were made, the leaders of each clan chose their territory. Shadowstar, the leader of Shadowclan, chose the Marsh. Riverstar, the leader of Riverclan, chose the river. Windstar, the leader of Winclan, chose the moors. Thunderstar, the leader of Thunderclan, chose the forest. Moonstar, the leader of Moonclan, chose to be in Fourtrees, surrounded by the other clans and their territory. Moonstar was always a generous leader and announced that each time the moon is full; Moonclan would be at peace and invite a patrol from each clan to gather in their camp for one night. They would be welcome to share news about their clans and any other news that they like.

"Starclan had given every clan's medicine cat a sign that they approved, and that they would have to be at the same peace that Moonclan had."

A loud shout jolted Wildkit out of her daydream.

"Watch out!" The warning came too late, and Wildkit fell to the ground with another cat falling on top of her.

"Sorry!" squeaked Wildkit, as she shook off the dirt from her pelt. Trying to balance herself on all four paws, she quickly realized a sharp pain radiating from front left paw. "Ouch!" meowed Wildkit. She looked up at who had tripped over her and her heart sank with embarrassment. It was their deputy Featherpelt. The long-haired gray warrior's dense fur was fluffed with anger. And her dark amber eyes glared down at Wildkit.

"Watch where you're going next time," she spat. With a huff of anger, she picked up her squirrel, which was now stained black from the mud and continued her way to the fresh-kill pile. Before setting it down, she shot Wildkit another disapproving look.

Wildkit dipped her head respectfully and ran to the medicine cat den to get the thorn, which was now embedded in her paw, removed.

At the other side of the clearing, the medicine cat den was out of sight and hidden under a root of one of the great four Oaks. Some Moonclan cats called it, Medicine Oak as a shorter name. Wildkit ducked under the root that acted as an entrance and sniffed carefully. She had never been in this den before and was afraid of what to expect. She knew that she couldn't let Flowerkit show her up, since she practically goes in the Medicine oak every day to visit Blueleaf, the medicine cat. _I don't understand why she is so obsessive over this place; _she thought to herself, _it's just a dank old hole in the ground._

The root seemed to only be the entrance to the den. Wildkit stood back up and squared her shoulders.

"I was kitted first," she said to herself. "I am not going to let any cat younger them me be more brave." With her last words of confidence, she dove into the moist tunnel. Her worried breaths echoed off of the dirt walls, which added to the effect that this tunnel led on forever. She had to crouch down lower and lower. The further she went because it seemed to be getting smaller.

Wildkit stopped.

Quickly she realized that she was being paranoid. She had only gone a tail-length underground and was already scared. No, she had to be braver then this, so she took off and sprinted the last fox-length of the tunnel.

Blinding light greeted her as she jump out of the tunnel. She shut her eyes in fear. The smell of wood wafted around her. Was she inside the tree? Blinking, she forced herself to keep her eyes open. Yes, she was inside the heart of the Medicine Oak.

Inside, there was actually no middle part of the tree. The exterior of the trunk seemed to be all there was. The smell of fresh air caused her to look up. What she found astonished her. The circular wooden walls stretched higher then she imagined. Sunlight dripped through the opening at the top of the Oak and filled the hollow with reflective light.

Paw steps sounded from the other side of the den. Wildkit spun around on her three good paws to see who was there. Relief flooded over her. It was only Blueleaf. Wildkit saw Blueleaf's eyes before she saw the rest of her body.

"Hello, Wildkit." Blueleaf greeted. The medicine cat was emerging from another tunnel which seemed to go down even further. Her green eyes seemed to glow within the dark tunnel that she had come out of. Her black pelt reflected a blue shine when the morning sun hit her. If she was a warrior, she would have been best at hunting during the night.

Behind her Flowerkit came out, carrying a mouthful of Borage leaves. Wildkit recognized those leaves from when her mother had eaten them. They were given to queens who had recently had kits, to help get the milk flowing. _These must be for Leopardtail,_ thought Wildkit. She was told that the kits would be borne by next claw-moon.

Flowerkit dropped the bundle of leaves and walked over to sit next to her sister. Blueleaf stretched out and settled down in a patch of sun on the sandy ground. She looked up at Wildkit.

"What can I do for you?" Blueleaf asked.

"I stepped on a thorn," Wildkit replied.

"Oh, how did that happen?" asked Blueleaf. Her green eyes glinted with curiousness. She let out a purr of amusement. "I didn't even think that there's a thorn bush anywhere near the camp."

"Oh, umm…" Wildkit stammered. "I think that Featherpelt had gotten some in her pelt when she was hunting."

"How on earth did it end up stuck in your paw?"

_She probably thinks that I left the camp and got it,_ Wildkit thought to herself. _I'm not _that_ untrustworthy, am I? _Wildkit shrugged off the idea.

"I was walking and she tripped over me when she was bringing her squirrel to the fresh-kill pile. I guess that I should have been more careful of where I'm walking," Wildkit confessed.

"Oh, that's alright then. I thought you were going to tell me that you went out of camp," apologized Blueleaf. She got up and walked over to Wildkit. "Now let me see the damage." Wildkit lifted her paw high enough for Blueleaf to look at it. Blueleaf took it gently in her paw and turned it over. Her face turned grim and her eyes lowered. "Oh this doesn't look very good," Blueleaf whispered. Without looking up she flicked her tail in Flowerkit's direction, "Flowerkit go down into storage and get some Burdock." Wildkit felt Flowerkit stiffen beside her. _What she had to be worried about? It wasn't like this was her paw or anything_. Flowerkit remained unmoved from her spot, but just kept her eyes locked on her sister's injured paw. Blueleaf looked up at Flowerkit and insisted, "You do remember what it looks like don't you?" Flowerkit nodded quickly and ran, disappearing into the tunnel that they had emerged from.

"Is it really that bad?" asked Wildkit. _Is it broken? If it's broken then I can never be a warrior!_ Wildkit thought scared the fur off of her.

"It looks like it yes." Blueleaf glanced back up at Wildkit scared eyes. "It will heal, but if you look right here…" She nodded to where the thorn had punctured. It had begun to swell around the area. "The thorn went into your claw."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it could mean that either the claw will grow awkwardly around the area, or that the claw might never be able to be used again. I suppose that it's not as serious as I led you to believe. I'm sorry."

"So you mean I can still be an apprentice?" asked Wildkit. "I just can't use this one claw?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean," mewed Blueleaf. Flowerkit burst out from the tunnel carrying the burdock. Blueleaf motioned Wildkit closer before whispering, "Although, I'm not so sure your sister wants to become a warrioe apprentice." Wildkit's ears twitched at the thought of her sister being a medicine cat. Blueleaf _must_ be joking. "Flowerkit, what do you think that Wildkit must do with the paw?" asked Blueleaf.

Flowerkit's eyes were shining as she mewed, "I think that she should stay off of it." Blueleaf's tail stroked Flowerkit's ears in admiration, but stopped when Flowerkit added, "_And_ stay in the nursery along with Leopardtail's kits!" Blueleaf's tail dropped to the ground and she let out a _mrrow _of laughter. Wildkit immediately felt hot embarrassment rolling up inside her.

"Flowerkit, you're going to get it," squealed Wildkit. Flowerkit's eyes opened in shock before running into one of the main tunnels that led to the camp, laughing. Wildkit sprinted after her as fast as her injured paw would allow. The dirt walls started to blur at the speed she was going. When she reached the end of the tunnel the sun blinded her. She ran into the open, but was still unable to see where she was. The next thing she knew, she tripped over a root and fell straight into another cat. Wildkit looked up and quickly backed away when she saw who she fell into. She had fallen into Hailpaw one of the apprentice's. He and Ashpaw were standing in front of the Apprentice tree. Hailpaw looked as stubborn as ever while Ashpaw looked down at her kindly. Hailpaw had always thought that he was the best cat ever just because he was Eclipsestar's only son; which made him Wildkit's kin. She decided to give him some pity because his mother had been killed just the other day, but she still felt disgraced to be his kin.

Wildkit supposed that the two apprentices' were annoyed about Flowerkit disturbing them. "Hello, Hailpaw." Wildkit voice was barely a whisper. Her eyes looked at the ground, afraid to meet his icy blue stare. She felt so weak standing next to Hailpaw with his thick white shoulders, bulging with muscle. _He's has to be made a Warrior before next moon, _thought Wildkit.

"Hello, Wildkit," replied Ashpaw. The gray apprentice's amber eyes flicked from Wildkit to Halepaw. Wildkit felt relieved that Ashpaw had spoken first. Ashpaw and Eaglepaw had been their den mates less than a moon ago, before they were named apprentices and sent to the apprentice den.

"Missing something?" Hailpaw asked. He pushed Flowerkit out from behind him with his gray tipped tail. Looking back down on her he continued, "Next time you feel like playing, stay out of the apprentice tree. Maybe next time I won't carry your sister back down, and she'll have to jump from our den." Hailpaw got to his paws and stalked away. Under his breath Wildkit heard him whisper, "I'll be lucky enough to have been move out of there by the time those kits move in." Then he was out of view, leaving his den mate with the two kits.

"Don't mind Hailpaw, he's just anxious about becoming a warrior. I don't even think that he likes me very much either," mewed Ashpaw, looking solemnly at her paws.

Flowerkit hissed in outrage. "Don't be mouse-brained! Every cat likes you; you are the nicest cat in the clan! Hailpaw is just a fox-heart."

"Well I'm not sure that Hailpaw thinks I'm the best cat in the clan." Ashpaw glanced longingly in Hailpaw's direction. "I've been mooning over him for ages! Even Eaglepaw's noticed. Great Starclan, I think everyone has noticed; everyone but Hailpaw, that is."

"Even I've noticed," confessed Wildkit. Every time that she left the nursery she would see Ashpaw next to his side. Hailpaw always seemed to love her too, but just seemed too proud to even glance her way for more than a couple heartbeats. His ignoring seemed to be getting worse ever since he realized that he was going to be a warrior.

"How about we change the subject," offered Flowerkit.

Ashpaw's face brightened. "Did you know that tonight is the gathering?"

"I can't wait, it's going to be the first gathering since we've been allowed to leave the nursery!" exclaimed Flowerkit. "I'm just afraid of what the other clans will think of me. Wildkit says that it's going to be no fun for either of us because the other clans don't bring their kits."

"Well they don't!" meowed Wildkit. "Eaglepaw told me himself. He said that when he was a kit, he fell asleep in the nursery every moon because there was no one to play with. It must be too far a journey to carry them."

The sound rustling leaves caused Wildkit to look up and see Leafeyes leaping out from an old owl hollow in the leader's tree. _He must be coming from Eclipsetail's den._

Leafeyes jumped from branch to branch till he made it to the ground next to the fresh-kill pile. He signaled Barktail to join him and he grabbed a chaffinch for both of them to share. They settled down under the leaves of the warrior's den and began to chat. Wildkit wondered what senior warriors like them discuss.

Featherpelt walked over to the two of them. From what Wildkit could see, it looked like she spoke to them quickly. Leafeyes nodded to Featherpelt and turned to look over to Ashpaw; his eyes gleamed with pride. "Ashpaw, get Eaglepaw and tell him that it's time for your first assessment." Ashpaw's eyes widened and she looked like she could leap up to the top of the apprentice tree.

She turned back to the two kits, as if remembering that they were still there. "Sorry, I have to go. Wish me luck!" With a flick of her tail, she jumped up into the nearest tree where she disappeared into its branches. A few moments later she appeared again with Eaglepaw's skinny golden body trailing close behind her. Before Wildkit could even blink, the two apprentices and their mentors had exited through the shrub thicket that surrounded the camp.

Wildkit turned back to the apprentice tree. "Great Starclan, I can't wait till I'm an apprentice! I'll be able to climb _all_ the way up there and sleep in a tree!" exclaimed Wildkit. She had always wondered what it looked like, but Halepaw never let them look. "Eaglepaw told me that when you're named an apprentice, you get to carry your own moss up and find a spot where two branches come together. When we become apprentices you need to find a spot next to me that's not unsteady. If you pick an unsteady spot then you could fall out of the tree in your sleep!" exclaimed Wildkit. She looked over at Flowerkit excitedly, but Flowerkit only looked over at her and her ears drooped. "Flowerkit, what's wrong?"

"Well, if I tell you then you can't tell Whiteheart okay?" meowed Flowerkit. "At least not until I say you can.

"Flowerkit, you have to tell me first, or else I can't promise anything," urged Wildkit.

"I'm not so sure that I want to be a warrior's apprentice," confessed Flowerkit. Wildkit's heart sank. This is exactly what Blueleaf had mentioned to her in the medicine tree. _Had they already discussed this?_ She thought. She had always dreamed of sleeping in the apprentice den next to Weaselkit and Flowerkit. Would that dream never happen?

"Then what would you be if you not a warrior apprentice."

"Well, I was talking to Blueleaf today and she agreed to take me on as her medicine cat apprentice! Isn't this exciting?" Flowerkit's eyes sparkled with delight and Wildkit didn't have the heart to tell her how hollow she felt inside. Wildkit just pricked her ears with excitement, like she would want any other cat to do to her if this were her news. Flowerkit continued, "Just think; if you become leader of Moonclan then Whiteheart would be so proud to have her kits be the most powerful cats in the clan! Remember when you were a kit and you would stand on top of Whiteheart's head and say, 'I Wildstar, hold this kit in front of Starclan for them to except her as a Moonclan apprentice. From this day on you will be known as Whitepaw and you shall be known as Flowerpaw?"

Wildkit's ears twitched at the wonderful memory. "And then Whiteheart would drop me to the ground and say 'you want me to go back to being an apprentice?'" A thought suddenly appeared to Wildkit. "If I'm leader then do you think that I could actually do those things?"

Flowerkit's blue eyes met Wildkit's. "I think that when _you're_ leader, you can do anything." Flowerkit brushed Wildkit's muzzle affectionately, and walked back to Medicine Oak.

Once Wildkit saw that her sister had gone she looked up to the apprentice den and meowed, "How can this be happening." _I'm going to go through my entire warrior life without my sister sharing the same things. _Wildkit's tail dropped to the ground and she began to walk slowly back over to the Nursery.

When she came through the entrance Wildkit saw that Whiteheart had gotten her a mouse to share with Weaselkit and Flowerkit. But she didn't fell like eating anything. Instead, she dragged herself over to where Whiteheart was waiting and sat down.

"Is everything already Wildkit?" asked Whiteheart. Wildkit detected a strong wave of concern in her mother's voice.

"Yes, I'm alright." She rapped her tail over her nose and let Whiteheart's soft heartbeats carry her to sleep.

Wildkit's eyes opened up to darkness, and strange smell lingered in the air.

"Is it the gathering already?" she asked Whiteheart. Wildkit didn't hear an answer, and turned around quickly to find that she was alone. Not even Weaselkit's anxious pelt was next to her. "Hello? Is anyone here?" She called out. Wildkit's voice echoed into the black nothingness. Her muscles felt stiff and cold. How long had she been in this place? Was it a part of the forest outside of camp? Wildkit stood up and peered around her, hoping that Whiteheart would suddenly appear from behind.

A whole moon seemed to pass before she got enough courage to haul herself up and walk on. All around her, she couldn't see anything but black. The further she walked the darker it got. With a last flash of hope, she looked up to where the sky would be, but found no stars lighting her path. Had Starclan abandon her? "Is anybody here? Can you help me?" asked Wildkit. The last of her hope disappeared and she sat back down onto the black icy ground.

"Hello Wildkit." The gentle voice made Wildkit spin around to find its source. Then she realized the voice hadn't come from a single spot, but had echoed from all directions. Immediately she turned back around and started to run again.

Up ahead, Wildkit could see a patch of green light and she shot out into a sprint. The more she ran; the more the darkness seemed to disappear. Tree after tree swooped past her, so she started slowed her long strides to a steady trot. She must be back in the forest! Wildkit spun her entire body around in all directions, but she had no idea where she was. The only thing that was clear to her was that she smelt Thunderclan scent. She looked behind her and found that she was surrounded by even more foliage. Maple trees, a Spruce, and a few Hazel bushes.

From the corner of her eyes, a cat emerged from behind a small bush. Her white pelt seemed was glittered with starlight. And then her scent surrounded Wildkit.

"Pebblenose!" Wildkit squealed with delight. She leaped forward and touched her nose to the white warrior's gray spotted nose. "I knew you weren't dead," meowed Wildkit.

Pebblenose's tail drooped and she walked back over the bush that she had come out of. The bush glittered with mysterious black berries. She glanced back at Wildkit. "I am sorry Wildkit, but I am really dead. I am now a member of Starclan." Pebblenose's tail hit one of the berries and it fell to the ground near Wildkit. Immediate interest burned in Wildkit's pelt. She leaned over and sniffed the berries. They didn't smell like much to her, but they triggered a very recent memory. Wildkit just couldn't remember where the memory had come from. Reaching out with her tongue down, she lapped one up.

Pebblenose quickly jumped forward. "Wildkit don't eat that! These are death berries. Just one berry could kill the most senior warrior." Wildkit quickly spit the berry out, and looked back up to Pebblenose.

"Why does it smell like Thunderclan? I thought that I could smell our scent marker all the way over there."

"It is our territory, but Thunderclan is coming and going as they please. They are taking these death berries, killing prey, and stuffing them inside for our warriors to take back to our camp to eat." Pebblenose stopped and lay down on the ground. She signaled with her tail for Wildkit to lie down next to her. It was almost like when she was just a newborn kit and Pebblenose would come into the nursery to tell them a nursery story. The difference now was that this was a horrible tale.

"But that would mean some of our most respected warriors could die for no reason at all." Pebblenose nodded. Wildkit started to wonder if this was how Pebblenose had died.

"You see, I was friends with Blueleaf when we were 'paws and she taught me the basics of medicine. I was trained to recognize the smell of death berries from a few fox-length away. A couple of days ago I was out here hunting and found this batch of the deadly berries being picked by Thunderclan warriors. I even saw them stuffing it into a squirrel. I jumped out on them and they attacked me." Pebblenose looked in the direction of Moonclan Territory territory. "I wish that I could have said more before I died. If I could have said something like, 'Death Berries', then maybe that would get Blueleaf to look for them." Wildkit looked back up at Pebblenose who was already starting to fade. What if she never saw her again? Fear started to rise inside Wildkit. She shot to her paws and looked franticly around for Pebblenose who had already disappeared.

"Wait, Pebblenose! Why tell this to me? Why not Eclipsestar?" begged Wildkit. Instead of Pebblenose's voice answering, she heard whispers from multiple cat's saying the same thing.

"It's too late for Eclipsestar."

The words hung in the air for a moment when Wildkit opened her eyes to find the forest gone and her back in her nest. _Why is it too late for Eclipsestar?_

Moonlight slipped into the heather bush and Wildkit heaved a sigh of relief. She was safe back in her nest with her kin. Turning around, she discovered that everyone had emptied out of the nursery. Wildkit felt a pang of sadness. _Why didn't they wake me up?_ The fowl stench that seemed to float into the nursery answered her question. It was time for The Gathering!


	2. Chapter 2

2

Wildkit poked her head outside the heather bush. In the clearing were more cats then she had ever seen in her entire life! It looked like hundreds of cats were gathered around Fourtrees. Wildkit looked up at Highrock and saw five powerful looking cats standing proud against the dark night. _They must be the leaders of the other clans,_ thought Wildkit. Eclipsestar stood, proudly, in the middle of all of them. He rapped his orange tail around his glossy gray pelt as he looked into the many cats standing below. He looked so powerful in contrast to all the other leaders, who looked weary about being in another clan's camp.

Wildkit's eyes glanced away from the rock to see a small Warrior approaching. Moonlight shimmered off his tan fur causing it to reflect a silvery color.

"Hello, are you Wildkit?" asked the cream colored warrior. Wildkit wondered what clan he must be from. Even though this cat was small in comparison to other cats, he was still much bigger then her. She automatically felt very small again. All she could manage was a single nod. "Well, it's good to meet you. I'm Swiftbreath, the Deputy of Windclan."

"Hello, Swiftbreath," meowed Wildkit. Swiftbreath didn't move from Wildkit's view. He just stood there, looking down on her. Annoyance pricked at Wildkit's fur.

"Did you need something?" meowed Wildkit.

His attention slipped back to the kit. "Oh, right, Blueleaf told me to come and get you from the nursery. She says to meet her in the Medicine Oak."

"Okay, I'll go right now," meowed Wildkit. Swiftbreath nodded his head and started to trot away.

He turned his head and added, "It was nice to meet you, and I hope you enjoy The Gathering." His tan pelt disappeared into the crowed of strange cats. What did Blueleaf want with her? This was her first gathering and she wanted to spend it with all the other cats from different clans. Maybe Flowerkit was there and she wanted to talk with her too. Wildkit started to walk around the edges of the moonlit clearing stealing small glances over her shoulder whenever she heard a different cat mew to someone she knew.

The moon seemed to only shine on Fourtrees clearing because the further she walked away, the darker it seemed to become. Just like her dream. She almost walked straight past the hidden entrance to the medicine oak, but the overbearing smell of herbs made her stop in her tracks. She leaned closer and pricked her ears in its direction. Inside the oak she heard many footsteps and quiet murmurs of other cats. Curiosity took over and she sprinted into the dark tunnel. The dense smell of wet soil overtook her and she lost track of the scents of herbs. Why were their other cat's in here too?

Instead of the tunnel opening up into an empty sunlit clearing, it brought her to a clearing with six other strange cats. Moonlight glinted off the walls causing the inside of the tree and light up. All six cats seemed to be in deep conversation. Two cats glanced over their shoulders started to walk over to her. They had the same grassy smell that Swiftbreath had carried, and these two were also small and lithe.

"You must be Wildkit," mewed a larger she-cat. She had a black pelt with small specks of red and orange. "Blueleaf is down in the herb stores with Flowerkit and Weaselkit." When the she-cat noticed Wildkit looking at her funny she added, "I'm Dawnfire, medicine cat of Windclan, and this is my apprentice Mousepaw." Dawnfire motioned her tail to a small dusty, brown tom. It couldn't have been more than a moon since he was made an apprentice because he was almost the size of Wildkit. Dawnfire nodded to the two of them, turned, and walked away toward the rest of the cats, leaving Mousepaw with Wildkit.

"Hi, Mousepaw," Wildkit meowed cautiously.

"Hello, Wildkit." He looked at Wildkit with a skeptical gaze then looked at the ground. A few heartbeats of silence passed before Mousepaw looked back up. "Are you going to be an Apprentice soon? You sure look old enough," he meowed. Wildkit looked over to the other medicine cats, but they seemed to busy in their own discussion to notice them talking_. He must be referring to her size,_ thought Wildkit. She wondered if she was as big as an apprentice in Windclan.

"No. It's at least going to be a couple moons before I'm old enough."

"Oh well, I suppose it wouldn't be much fun since your sisters going to be in the medicine den, huh?" asked Mousepaw. Wildkit opened her mouth to argue, but saw that he looked sincere enough

"Yes, I just found out about it last sunhigh, but my brother's still going to be an apprentice with me." Wildkit was suddenly desperate to change the subject. "Is it fun being a medicine cat apprentice? You know, getting to learn all the herbs, and being friends with cats from other clans?" asked Wildkit. Mousepaw was technically a medicine cat so it wouldn't be wrong to be friends with him, right?

"Yeah, it's very fun. Dawnfire said that I'm learning a lot faster than she did when she was an apprentice. I only started a Quarter-moon ago and she said I know as much as she did when she was a season into her apprenticeship."

"That's very impressive!" exclaimed Wildkit. _Would Whiteheart think that it was bad to only know Winclan cats from The Gathering?_ "Can you tell me what the names of the medicine cats are? I barely know all the names of the cats in my own clan." Mousepaw's tail twitched with amusement.

"All right," he pointed his tail to a black and white tom with a fuzzy looking foot. "He is the Medicine cat of Riverclan, his name is Mossfoot. He doesn't have an apprentice yet, but he was just telling us about a kit named Mistkit who seems to have an interest in medicine" Mousepaw moved his tail so it was pointing at a tortoiseshell she-cat. "She is the Thunderclan medicine cat. Her name is Rainstreak" continued Mousepaw. Unable to stop herself, Wildkit bristled with anger. Rainstreak was a part of the clan that had killed her kin. _Had Rainstreak known about it? If she did, had she tried to stop it?_ Wildkit thought. Mousepaw seemed to notice Wildkit's hesitation and added, "You don't have to worry. Us medicine cats have nothing to do with clan quarrels. I think that Rainstreak is most sincere medicine cats that I know right now," explained Mousepaw. Hearing her name, Rainstreak turned towards them. Her green eyes were seemed to be full of innocence, but Wildkit knew the truth behind them.

"Did you need something Mousepaw?" asked Rainstreak. Behind her the rest of the mysterious cats started to look up

"No, I was just telling Wildkit the names of all the medicine cats," he responded.

"Oh, of course." Rainstreak got to her paws and moved over to the two young cats then sat down. "You must feel like a stranger, Wildkit." Behind her Mossfoot and the other medicine cats had started to gather around. "This is my apprentice Honeypaw." She motioned to a small speckled apprentice who looked just as nervous as Wildkit felt. Rainstreak leaned closer. "It's his first gathering, so he's a little nervous." In a louder voice she continued with her introductions. "And this is the Shadowclan medicine cat Sandspeck." A large orange cat came to stand next to her. Sandspeck seemed to be the largest of the medicine cat.

"Oh," whispered Wildkit. She still didn't know why Blueleaf had sent her. "I was just hoping that one of you could tell me what Blueleaf, or Flowerkit, needed. She sent Swiftbreath to come and get me," meowed Wildkit. Sandspeck was the only cat that stepped forward.

"I would guess it was probably because when the gatherings are going on, Eclipsestar wants all the kits to either stay in the nursery or the medicine den with the medicine cats," meowed Sandspeck. "I think that they went down into the herb stores."

"Well, I'll just go down to the herb stores to see them then." Wildkit looked towards another dark tunnel that led down into the herb stores. The more that she went through tunnels, the more she hated them. It just felt like she would never come out of them someday. She turned her head to Mousepaw. "I hope I can see you again Mousepaw, good-bye."

"Good-bye Wildkit," Mousepaw meowed. After that he went back to the rest of the medicine cats. She realized that she better hurry if she's going to meet Weaselkit and Flowerkit. Then she dived into the tunnels darkness.

Wildkit started to walk very slowly, for the tunnel seemed to go down forever. It was surprising how Blueleaf could ever fit down here. It was almost too small for Wildkit to fit because her whiskers brushed both sides of the tunnel. A small root stuck up from the bottom of the tunnel and scraped her paws. Sharp pain shot up her injured leg, and she started to limp again. The only thing that she could stop herself from doing was screeching out in pain. Blueclaw would probably get worried if she did. _How long down can this passage go?_

Suddenly the ground started to slope upward. Wildkit could hear Weaselkit's excited mews up ahead. Relief spread through her and she started to run through the last bit of the tunnel.

The passage led out of the ground and Wildkit realized that she was above ground and outside of the camp.

"Hey, Flowerkit, she's here!" exclaimed Weaselkit. His dark brown pelt was bent into a hunters crouch in front of her. "I can't believe that were outside of camp! I didn't even think that this was aloud!" he explained. She didn't understand how she even got outside of camp, but rustling across the little clearing a bush started to rustle Wildkit's ears prick with worry. _What if it's Featherpelt,_ she thought. Featherpelt was already mad enough at her. Quickly she ducked behind a small bush in fear of being caught. A sharp twig jabbed into her nose.

"Ouch!" A shadow poked into the bush beside Wildkit and she squealed out in shock. Instead of Featherpelt, it was Blueleaf. She let out a loud _mrrow_ of laughter at Wildkit's suspense. Hot embarrassment pricked Wildkit's pelt.

"Wildkit, its okay that you're out here. This actually is the herb stores," explained Blueleaf. "We have so many herbs to store in the medicine den so our ancestors dug a tunnel out of camp." Wildkit looked up at the moon and saw that it was no longer high in the sky, but was now dipping behind a few trees. Shadows were beginning to creep out of the trees like claws ready to grab her.

"Well to the other cats know about it? What about the other medicine cats? Do they know it to?" meowed Wildkit.

"The other medicine cats do know about it, yes, but any other cat probably not. This spot is very close to the Windclan border and hidden from most patrols. It garden by some brambles. Eclipsestar doesn't even know about it." Blueleaf turned towards Weaselkit. "Well it used to be hidden only to medicine cats and medicine cat apprentices, such as Flowerkit, but Weaselkit followed us down here." Weaselkit looked shocked.

"I well I didn't know I wasn't allowed down…" His voice trailed off and he looked directly at Flowerkit. His tail started to twitch angrily back and forth "Flowerkit, you're going to be a medicine cat apprentice and you didn't even tell me!" exclaimed Weaselkit. He looked accusingly at Blueleaf. "I thought that all three of us would be _warrior_ apprentices. The least you could do was, tell one of us."

"I didn't think I needed your permission Weaselkit!" she snapped back. "This is what I really want to do. Blueleaf is really nice and would be a great mentor." In a softer tone, Flowerkit added, "I thought that both of you would be more proud and accepting of me. And I did tell Wildkit, but she didn't seem happy about it either. I can still talk to you, and I'm not going to be an apprentice for two whole moons! I'm still going to live in the nursery with the rest of you. It's not like I'm going to be an apprentice before any of you."

Wildkit opened her mouth to apologies, but a few low murmurs outside the herb stores cut her off.

"Moonclan's looking really thin don't you think? They have the fewest amounts of cats of all the clans, so you would think that they would be able to fill themselves on what they have in this small of a territory. It's Greenleaf for Starclan's sake. And it didn't even look like the kit I saw was being fed properly." The rough voice seemed very familiar. Wildkit ducked under a thick group of brambles and peered out through the brambles thin screen of thorns. A tan pelt caught her eye. It was Swiftbreath, the Windclan deputy! And he was gossiping about Moonclan to another Windclan cat. The she-cat was much larger in size compared to Swiftbreath and her black fur made it hard for Wildkit to see her outline against the dark forest. This larger cat had been sitting up on the Highrock with the rest of the leaders. "Honestly Spiderstar, I think that Moonstar must have been crazy for wanting to make her own clan stay in the middle of everyone's territory. Now, that small clan has threats from all sides of the borders." Swiftbreath stopped talking and Spiderstar's green eyes glared at him from the shadows for a moment.

"That is enough Swiftbreath." Spiderstar's brittle mew cut off her glare. "I know that Moonclan may have problems, but we do too. Maybe if you stopped complaining about the complications of all the other clans, then maybe you could spend some time with ours much more important issues," concluded Spiderstar. Then she took off up the slope into Winclan territory, leaving Swiftbreath sitting alone. After a couple of heartbeats Swiftbreath took off after her.

What problems would Winclan have? With shock Wildkit realized what they had said. Moonclan was not underfed! The other clans were just fat because they ate more then they needed.

"Did you hear what they said about us?" meowed Weaselkit. His taut voice made her jump and she whirled around to face him.

"Yes! They think that we're too skinny! Maybe there just to fat, it would explain why they complain about prey shortages in Leafbare. We do just fine in Leafbare. Don't we Blueleaf?" asked Wildkit.

"Well the other clans have their problems, but yes we do very well in Leafbare because we know how to hunt multiple pieces of pray. Sometimes we even catch some unlucky pheasant that travels into our territory during Leafbare," meowed Blueleaf. She listened for a while then decided, "Well, It sounds like the gatherings over, shall we go back?" Blueleaf turned back to Wildkit and Weaselkit. "And you two better not say anything about the herb stores to anyone. Not even Whiteheart. Do you promise?" asked Blueleaf

After a while, Weaselkit nodded his head and meowed, "Okay, I promise," Then took off into the tunnel. Blueleaf watched him go, and then looked back to Wildkit.

"Okay, yes, I promise," meowed Wildkit.

"Well, good. Now, how about you kits get going before the Eclipsestar starts to wonder where we are." Flowerkit got to her paws and disappeared into the entrance, but Wildkit stayed behind. She tried to remember everything that Pebblenose had told her in her dream, but she could only remember the Death Berries and Thunderclan. Still the medicine cat should know about it. Blueleaf went back to checking the stores which seemed to be dents in the ground with leaves inside them, covered by moss. Now was a good a time as ever.

"Blueleaf, I have something to tell you," meowed Wildkit. Blueleaf jumped. _She must have thought that I'd gone with my litter mates_, thought Wildkit.

Without taking her eyes off of the stores Blueleaf asked, "Wildkit, is there something wrong?" Wildkit took a deep breath. What if she didn't believe her? Would she tell Eclipsestar about her and have her get in trouble?

"Yes, I think there is. W-well," stammered Wildkit. "I had a message from Starclan last night." Blueleaf dropped the bundle of Thyme that she had been sorting through and turned around to face Wildkit.

"Are you sure it was a message from Starclan? Do you know who talked to you," asked Blueleaf.

"Yes I'm sure that it was a message from Starclan and it was Pebblenose who told me," meowed Wildkit.

"What did she say?" urged Blueleaf.

"She said something about Death Berries." Blueleaf's eyes widened and she walked over to a low tree which contained the same black berries that Pebblenose had shown her.

"I thought that this tree was the only one that contained Death Berries in the whole territory. Did she say anything else?" How close to Pebblenose had Blueleaf been? Had they been den mates? She would have to ask Whiteheart.

Wildkit tried hard to remember what else Pebblenose had told her in her dream. She had said something about Eclipsestar. Yes, that was it!

"She said that it was too late for…" A loud pad of footsteps from inside the tunnel cut her off. Both of them looked over towards the entrance. At the same moment Flowerkit ran into the herb store clearing panting. Her normally white fur was now dusted with a fine coat of dirt and her eyes were wide with worry.

"Flowerkit what happened?" asked Blueleaf.

"Eclipsestar…," mumbled Flowerkit, but she was still trying to catch her breath. Another loud pad of footsteps cause Wildkit to look past Flowerkit and see Weaselkit squeezing out of the entrance behind her.

"Eclipsestar's dead!" shouted Weaselkit. Wildkit looked over at Flowerkit and she nodded in agreement with her brother.

Blueleaf came over to Flowerkit and flicked her tail over the kit's ear. "Okay, calm down. What happened to Eclipsestar?" Flowerkit took a long breath and started to report.

"When we got back I saw Featherpelt coming from Eclipsestar's den and she looked very worried. Then she ran up to me and told me to come get you immediately." When she finished she looked over to Weaselkit and pricked her ears in Blueleaf's direction.

"Oh right, well when Flowerkit left went up to Featherpelt and asked her what was happening. She told me that she had been talking to Eclipsestar about The Gathering and then he just started to choke and died. She didn't even know what happened," explained Weaselkit. Blueleaf didn't stay to hear the rest, but leaped over the bramble walls.

"Do you think they really need us around camp? I'm sure not going back" meowed Weaselkit. Wildkit looked back at her brother to see his hind legs sticking out from under the bramble thicket. The upper half of his body was outside the wall.

"Where are you going?" asked Flowerkit. "I don't think we're even supposed to be out of camp." Flowerkit started to shuffle her feet awkwardly. _Flowerkit follows the rules too much, _thought Wildkit. Weaselkit's voice was muffled, but you could still here his annoyed mews.

"Stop being a mouse-heart Flowerkit." He shook the last bit of haunches out from under the thorny screen. His voice carried over the wall. "I don't care if you two stay here, but I'm going to the Windclan camp." The sound of paw steps told Wildkit that he was already gone. She faced Flowerkit.

"Flowerkit, we have to go and get him back here," she insisted. Her sister was already starting to go down the tunnel and she had to back out again to look Wildkit in the eye.

"Wildkit, I don't feel like getting in trouble for what Weaselkit's doing." Flowerkit lumbered over to where she was standing and nudged her with her tail. "Besides, we always end up getting in trouble because of him." She has a point. Both of them had, had to stay inside the nursery for almost a Quarter Moon because of Weaselkit almost falling out of the leader's tree.

"Okay, I suppose your right." Wildkit looked up at the sky. The sun's rays were just making their way over the peak of the horizon, splattering colors that Wildkit had only ever seen on a fish that a Riverclan warrior had caught for them. She searched for some way to persuade Flowerkit to help her before dawn patrol set out, but couldn't find anything. Troubled by the defeat, she just shrugged and nodded. "Well, I guess we should be getting back. Whiteheart must be worried about us by now."

Flowerkit purred at her achievement.

"Come on," urged Wildkit. "I'll race you to camp." The least she could do was leave her sister out of her rescue mission. After Flowerkit left, she could follow her brother's scent. She had to admit, she was looking forward to seeing the Windclan camp. Plus, it's not like Windclan would attack little kits. Would they?

Flowerkit's purring stopped and her blue eyes glimmered with anticipation for the race.

"Alright," meowed Flowerkit. The two sisters bent down into the same crouch that Redtalon had taught them. Flowerkit's tail twitched back and forth, which would have scared any prey, if she was stalking it.

"We'll go in three heartbeat's," Wildkit advised. "One, two, and thre…" before Wildkit finished, Flowerkit took off into the tunnel with incredible speed. Her tail disappeared into the darkness before another heartbeat past.

Wildkit was left alone.

She had never wanted to lie to her sister, but she didn't want her to get into trouble either. She wouldn't give her sister any time to realize that she wasn't following.

With one last look at the tunnel, she circled around and ducked under the bush into unexplored territory.


	3. Chapter 3

3

It only took two tries to pick up Weaselkit's scent. Wildkit kept flinching at the wet morning dew on each blade of grass. She had never walked on wet grass before now. She figured that Riverclan cats were mouse-brain to actually swim in this stuff at their own free will.

The sky was bright now that Wildkit could see almost everything in front of her. Just a fox-length away, the ground seemed to slope upward. By tasting the air, she found both Winclan scent and Weaselkit's scent mingled together. She looked up to the now disappearing stars and prayed, _Oh Starclan, please let him be safe._ The Winclan scent seemed to be stale from last night, yet there was still a strong bit of it further ahead. That must be their sent line! Wildkit felt a surge of pride at the fact that she and her brother must be the first kit's alive to cross the scent line before becoming apprentices.

The ground began to slope up and the Winclan scent became almost unbearable. It's foul, crow-food scent got so strong that she had to blink multiple times to keep her eyes from watering. The ground finally came to its peak and everywhere she turned it appeared to be flat.

The empty land must have had no protection against the sun because most of the grass seemed to be scorched from the Greenleaf heat. Thankfully it was almost a brown color which she could use to conceal herself.

"Psst, Wildkit." Wildkit flinched and ducked down even further into the browning grass. Had someone recognized her from the gathering? Would they attack her on site? She shut her eyes and hoped that they would pass over her. "Wildkit, it's me, Weaselkit!"

Wildkit opened her eyes.

Weaselkit leaped onto her back causing her to tip over. She spun around to see her brother.

"What are you doing here?" Wildkit hissed. Weaselkit's brown fur blended in well with the grass and the only thing that gave him away was the twitching of his ears and his amber eyes. Maybe she blended in as well as he did.

Just in case, she pushed herself deeper under the brush and signaled Weaselkit to do the same. He followed her till they were completely engulfed under the wilted weeds. "What if we get caught by a Windclan patrol?" Wildkit's mews turned to a whisper at the thought of being caught, but Weaselkit seemed unfazed by the comment. Then something flicked through her mind. "Wait, we don't even know where the Windclan camp is. How do you expect to find it?" Wildkit asked.

Approaching paw steps overhead caused them to stop talking and wait.

"Are you sure that you scented Moonclan?" Spoke an unknown she-cat voice. More paw steps told Wildkit that the rest of the patrol must have caught up to her.

"Yes, Dustblade, it was leading away from our camp," reported a voice of a tom.

"How many could you detect?" Dustblade asked.

"I only detected the scent of one Moonclan intruder," concluded the tom.

The scent of all five Windclan warriors drifted towards the two hidden kits. It was overpowering. Wildkit was about to gag, but looked up and saw Weaselkit giving her an unwavering glare. He shook his head very slowly and then stood still to listen to the rest of the patrol. If what she was hearing was true, then Weaselkit had found their camp and was being hunted down by a whole patrol!

For a few moments Wildkit was in awe at her brother's amazing bravery. That's when the whole truth sunk in. They were being hunted by a whole patrol of experienced Windclan warriors!

"Okay, Darktooth," continued Dustblade, "take Robinclaw, Cedarleaf, and Clearpaw to check out the Moonclan border. We don't want a spy from another clan wandering in our territory." She paused for a moment and reminded the patrol, "If you find them then bring them back to camp and Spiderstar will deal with them." As she finished, Wildkit could hear a growl growing in the warriors throat.

A small voice spoke up. "What are you going to do while we go to the border Dustblade?" Wildkit understood that he must be Clearpaw.

Dustblade let out a hiss of annoyance and it sounded like she turned around to the rest of the patrol. "I'm going to go tell Spiderstar about this Moonclan pest and discuss what we should do about it." Dustblade stopped for a moment and seemed to detect the disappointment in Clearpaw's voice. She continued in a softer tone to the small cat, "Afterwards, I promise to take you out for your assessment."

Clearpaw purred.

"Wait, isn't it the deputy, Swiftbreath's job to talk to Spiderstar about the problem?" Darktooth asked. From the moment it left his lips, Wildkit could tell that he regretted it.

It sounded like Dustblade turned to face her fellow warrior and hissed. "Swiftbreath doesn't even deserve to be a warrior! It Spiderstar loses the last two of her nine lives then I don't want to be led by that bumbling mouse-brain! He'll be gone soon, trust me," finished Dustblade. The rest of the patrol froze in their place at the sound of the threat. Dustblade gave a huff of satisfaction and darted across the open plain, out of earshot.

"Cedarleaf, is it against the warrior code to say something like that?" asked Clearpaw.

Wildkit looked over to where Weaselkit was hiding. Their eyes met and his were dotted with worry. Wildkit shared his distress. If Spiderstar did lose her lives and Swiftbreath was gone, would Dustblade invade Moonclan? She seemed to hate everyone from her clan.

"Well, the warrior code never said anything about having to _like_ your clan mates," responded a cat that must be Cedarleaf.

"I hate her," spat a she-cat. "She will not touch him if I have anything to do with it."

"I know Robinclaw," meowed Darktooth. "I would feel the same if it was my mate at stake."

"You mean you don't feel the same way!" exclaimed Robinclaw. "You're just going to let her kill my mate because you're afraid, aren't you?" The desperation in her voice shocked Wildkit. Did Robinclaw feel the same way about her mate as Eclipsestar did? Maybe cats in the other clan were a lot like the ones in Moonclan.

Wildkit couldn't take just listening to the Winclan cats. She began to creep forward just enough to see the warriors. She used the technique that Redtalon had showed her. He told her to creep forward as slowly as she could so she didn't disturb any foliage around her. Wildkit glanced over at her brother who was staring at her in shock.

She finally made it to a spot where the grass was split open wide enough for her to see the cats. The pre-dawn sun reflected off of a tall white tom that had a black smudge on his muzzle. _That must be Darktooth._ Next to him sat a smaller cat that Wildkit guessed must be Clearpaw. He looked a lot like Mousepaw in size, but instead of a brown coat, the apprentice had fluffy ginger fur and blue eyes. Beside him a frail brown tom lay on the ground. Wildkit imagined that he would be moving into the elders den soon. Standing closest to Wildkit was a large brown she-cat, with a swollen belly. _She has to be Robinclaw;_ _which means that she was expecting Swiftbreath's kits!_

"Cedarleaf, take Clearpaw to the border. We'll meet you down there in a moment," spoke Darktooth.

The elder cat nodded and picked himself up off the ground. He shook himself till the all the pieces of grass that stuck to his coat were on the ground again. Quickly, he stretched out his body which suddenly looked overtook with fatigue. When he finished stretching, he looked down at the nervous, little apprentice.

"Let's go see how many Moonclan cats we can catch on our own," Cedarleaf meowed.

Clearpaw nodded and the old warrior started to walk away, but Clearpaw didn't follow. He sat there and stared into the clump of grass where Wildkit was watching from. She quickly drew in a breath and held it. He can't see her can he? He must have heard a rabbit or maybe a mouse.

Wildkit slowly decided that she should move away again and slowly started to push each foot backwards, while making sure that none of her movements caught sight of the Windclan cats.

Clearpaw stuck his nose in the air and sniffed. Wildkit froze again. What would Eclipsestar do if they were caught! She moved her head the tiniest bit upwards so she could see if the Windclan apprentice had caught scent of her. Wildkit's eyes met his blue gaze and he drew in a breath. _Starclan, help me!_ Wildkit prayed.

Thankfully Clearpaw's ears twitched and he let out a purr. What was he doing? Shouldn't he report her to the two warriors? Clearpaw nodded to her and took off in a sprint after Cedarleaf.

Darktooth shifted his view to watch the apprentice go before turning back to Robinclaw.

"I'm not afraid of anything. I just don't think that she would do anything like that," he paused, "especially not to her friend's mate." Darktooth shuffled his paused uncomfortably and looked away.

"Or maybe you just don't think it's worth it, after what happened to her," Robinclaw countered.

Shock flashed through Darktooth's eyes. "What are you talking about?" He demanded.

"What's going on?" whispered Weaselkit through the dead grass. "Is everything okay? Can I come out now?" He started to wiggle his way up to Wildkit. She didn't mind him being by her side. If they got caught, she would rather it be with her brother than without.

"Darktooth and Robinclaw are arguing about each other's mates, I think," Wildkit whispered back. She focused back on the two Windclan warriors.

Robinclaw's deadly stare burned into Darktooth and he seemed to be scared of what she had to say. "You think that I didn't know that you were sneaking out all the time?" asked Robinclaw. Why would he need to sneak out?

"You don't know anything!" He tore his eyes away from his clan mate and seemed to focus on something near the Moonclan border. His blue eyes were full of pain, but Robinclaw seemed to be glad about it.

"I know that you used to go and see that pitiful Moonclan she-cat. And I also know about your shameful little kit," spat Robinclaw.

Weaselkit nudged Wildkit. "Who do you supposed their talking about?"

"Well, it can't be Leopardtail can it? I thought that she was expecting two kits, not just one," meowed Wildkit. She had a good idea of who they were talking about, but was just too afraid to even think it possible.

Darktooth's pain turned into pure outrage. He leaped towards Robinclaw, hooked his forepaw around her leg, and pulled, causing her to fall onto her side. Pinning her on the ground under his weight, he lowered his head to match hers. He hissed through clenched teeth, "Don't you dare talk about Pebblenose like that!" Hardening his gaze he added, "And don't ever let me ever hear you even mention my kit's name to any other cat in the clan! Hailpaw is going to be the best warrior that you have ever heard of. And let me make myself clear. Some day in battle, he is going to rip out your throat because of your insolents." He took his paw off of her shoulder and stood up. Giving Robinclaw one last look of disgust, he began following the path that Clearpaw had taken.

Robinclaw got up and shook the dirt off of her fur. She watched Darktooth for a while before calling after him, "Not if he rips out your thin, Windclan throat first!" Darktooth paused for moment, and then started to run faster towards Clearpaw and Cedarleaf.

Wildkit couldn't believe what she had just heard! Hailpaw was half Winclan? Why hadn't she ever noticed? Should she tell Ashpaw? Now that she thought about it, he was the fastest cat in the clan and had the same white fur as Darktooth. What would Eclipsestar think when he finds out that Hailpaw really isn't his son? She knew for sure that it would probably stop him from being so proud all the time because it was the thought of being Eclipsestar's only son that made him think he was the best.

"You can come out now," meowed Robinclaw. Was she talking to them? Of course she wasn't. The Windclan warrior bent down into the grass and eyed Wildkit and Weaselkit. Her tail started to flick off all the grass that was covering them. Weaselkit started to shake next to her.

"Don't hurt us!" pleaded Weaselkit. Robinclaw purred at him touched her tail to his head.

The sun was already above the horizon and the ground was now completely dry from its heat. Shadows from the light began giving the grass, shadows that stretched across the ground.

"Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you," insisted Robinclaw. "I'm not even going to turn you in to Windclan." She observed the two of them and purred. "I'm going to guess that your still kit's. Am I right?"

They both nodded.

"How did you get here?" asked Robinclaw. Her tail was tucked comfortably around her body as if they were Winclan kits.

Weaselkit spoke up. "Well, we heard…" Wildkit cut him off. She didn't want him to get into any trouble in case Robinclaw was lying about not turning them in. Instead she told Robinclaw a nursery tail that Whiteheart used to tell them about kits at gatherings.

"When the gathering ended we were swept away in the large groups of other clan cats and when we tried to ask for help, the other cats would just look at us and walk away so we started to wander. We couldn't find our way back so we decided to follow the closest group of cats, which must have been Windclan. And when we saw your patrol talking about attacking us, we got scared and hid under the grass." When Wildkit had finished her story she glanced at her brother who was gawking at her. She gave him a curt nod to get him to go along with the story.

"Well then," meowed Robinclaw, "I assume that I would have to walk you back to your camp then." They both hung their heads and mumbled their agreements. "Then let's get going."


End file.
